Sunil Gavaskar pays tribute to Jaydev Unadkat for his hard work and dedication following Test comeback
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Jaydev Unadkat after the 31-year-old played his first Test in 12 years, saying that the Saurashtra pacer's comeback story is a tribute to his hard work and self-belief.
Unadkat played his second Test match 12 years after making his debut in the format in 2010 as a teenager. The left-arm pacer was not in the squad for the Bangladesh tour but was later added as an injury replacement for Mohammad Shami.
After missing the first Test due to visa issues, Unadkat got an opportunity to return to action in whites after missing as many as 118 Tests. The Saurashtra captain repaid the faith in him by taking two wickets (2/50 in 16 overs) on Day 1 of the second Test vs Bangladesh in Mirpur, prompting former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar to shower him with praise. Gavaskar reckoned that his success was a tribute to his hard work and self-belief.
Unadkat bagged his maiden Test wicket in just his fourth over when he troubled Zakir Hasan, the centurion from the previous Test, with a delivery that reared off from a length that Hasan only managed to spoon straight to the slip cordon.
He kept persisting with the good lengths and an unplayable delivery from around the wicket made Mushfiqur Rahim edge to the keeper.
"What a terrific comeback by Jaydev Unadkat. He looked the most threatening of the bowlers. He looked like getting a wicket of every delivery he bowled. So, he was the one who opened the door for India and then Ashwin and Umesh got the wickets," Gavaskar told Sony Sports during the opening day’s play in Dhaka.
Jaydev Unadkat's incredible return to Test cricket
Jaydev Unadkat has been a prolific wicket-taker in the domestic circuit, having bagged 353 wickets in 96 first-class games. It was under his leadership that Saurashtra won their maiden and only Ranji Trophy title to date in 2019-20. He has recorded the most wickets in a Ranji season, with 67 wickets in just 10 games.
Despite his consistent performances, he was overlooked by the selectors over the year. Gavaskar lauded Unadkat for still harboring ambitions of playing Test cricket for India and also paid tribute to him for his self-belief.
Unadkat looked up to the sky and soaked in the moment when he was told that he would be playing in the second Test in a heartwarming moment that was captured by cameras at the start of Day 1.
"First and foremost, to harbor the ambition to keep playing cricket is a tribute to him. He [Jaydev Unadkat] has been picking wickets in the last 5-6 seasons and he was never even in contention, nobody was even talking about him playing a Test match for India. He believed in himself. You have to pay tribute to the belief he has in himself. He was just trying to soak in the feeling," Gavaskar stated.
Bangladesh was eventually bowled out for 227 in their first innings with Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin bagging four wickets each. India ended the day's play at 19/0 in 8 overs, trailing by 208 runs.